Lucescu confirms Juventus interest in Witsel after Everton snub

Witsel told R-Sport this month he plans to stay at Zenit for another season and would not rule out prolonging his stay in Russia with a new contract.

But Lucescu revealed Serie A champions Juve are attempting to seal a deal for the midfielder, who has turned down a move to Everton ahead of the transfer window closing on Wednesday.

“We had a serious offer from Everton for Witsel, but the player rejected it,” Lucescu told Dolce Sport.

“Now he has two days to find an agreement with Juventus and they in turn with Zenit for a possible transfer.”

Juve appear to have missed out on Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Blaise Matuidi but have been linked with a move for Inter’s Marcelo Brozovic as they seek to replace Paul Pogba following his transfer to Manchester United.

Lucescu added Ezequiel Garay is seeking a return to Spain, where he played for Racing Santander and Real Madrid between 2005 and 2011, and has his eyes set on Valencia.

“Garay wants to return to Spain, to Valencia, but there is a problem with the cost,” continued the Zenit boss.

“He is a valuable player who Zenit bought three or four years ago for an enormous amount of money.”